The incredible and too-short life of the British archaeologist-turned-turbaned freedom warrior Thomas Edward Lawrence inspired countless films, including a much-lauded 1966 biopic starring Peter O'Toole (who was very drunk during filming), and almost certainly the Indiana Jones franchise. Lawrence, dubbed "Lawrence of Arabia" by the press following his time embedded with Arab insurgents in their fight against the Ottoman Turks, was a renaissance man. Fluent in seven languages, he worked not...
The Tragic Truth About Lawrence Of Arabia
The incredible and too-short life of the British archaeologist-turned-turbaned freedom warrior Thomas Edward Lawrence inspired countless films, including a much-lauded 1966 biopic starring Peter O'Toole (who was very drunk during filming), and almost certainly the Indiana Jones franchise. Lawrence, dubbed "Lawrence of Arabia" by the press following his time embedded with Arab insurgents in their fight against the Ottoman Turks, was a renaissance man. Fluent in seven languages, he worked not...
The exploits of T.E. Lawrence during World War I made him the stuff of legends. According to the BBC, his innovative tactical mind and knack for guerrilla warfare helped Arab rebels in Jordan and Syria rise up against Turkish rule, and he was a staunch advocate for Arab independence. But he didn't go to the Middle East as a soldier...
If you're a movie buff, or a history buff — specifically, early 20th century British history — the name Lawrence of Arabia will certainly ring a bell. Born Thomas Edward Lawrence, the famed author, archaeologist and army officer was born out of wedlock to a nobleman father and a governess mother. According to Britannica, the young Englishman helped organize and lead military actions during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman forces from 1916 until 1918, earning the rank of colonel in the process. Following the war, he did serve a brief stint in the Royal Air Force (RAF), but Lawrence is most famously known for his autobiographical accounts of the Arab Revolt, namely The Mint and Seven...
At this point in history, Lawrence of Arabia may be more well-known by image than historical fact. This was also the case when Thomas Edward Lawrence (his real, birth name) was alive, as T.E. Lawrence built himself into a legend through his 1922 autobiography, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. In this book, Lawrence recounts adventures, escapades, and death-defying self-mythologizing during his time as a British intelligence officer working to take down the Ottoman Empire during World War I. And thanks to the 1962 epic film starring Peter O'Toole, it's even more difficult to separate fact from fiction. If everything Lawrence said about himself was true, then he's easily one of the top contenders for the actual "most interesting man in the world" prize...
The 20th-century British archaeologist, solder, diplomat, and author T. E. Lawrence lived a truly adventurous life. He gained notoriety after fighting alongside Arab rebels during World War I, during which time he invented several guerrilla war tactics utilized during their successful insurgence against the Ottoman Turks. But according to History.com, despite his many innovative and successful exploits during the war, he remained in obscurity (where he would have liked to stay) until a year after the November 1918 armistice finally brought the bloody conflict to an end. Even though the Turks had put a bounty on Lawrence's head, they were ignorant of what the face on it actually looked like...